I got banned from SoloLearn for trying to help beginners. Here's what happened.

Yesterday, a 12-year-old solo developer named Harun was on a mission to assist beginners on SoloLearn. He noticed numerous newcomers asking for help with coding concepts like loops and seeking guidance. In an act of helpfulness, Harun began answering their queries, providing code solutions, and even promoting his own tool, KODA, a free resource designed to aid beginners. Along with his assistance, he included a small note at the end of his comments, inviting users to try KODA and sharing the link: [Link].

Surprisingly, Harun believed he was merely being helpful, but the SoloLearn algorithm perceived his actions as spamming. Within hours, his account was blocked. Initially, Harun felt dismayed, thinking his marketing efforts were ruined. However, his entrepreneurial mindset kicked in. He began to ponder if the algorithm was actually acknowledging his effectiveness in helping others.

From this experience, Harun learned some valuable lessons. Algorithms tend to penalize links, regardless of the intent behind their inclusion. He also recognized that trust takes time to develop and cannot be forced. Instead, he realized that users are more likely to engage with content when it is presented in a story format rather than just a list of links.

Harun decided not to give up on SoloLearn but instead pivoted his strategy. He would focus on sharing his experiences and building his presence on Dev.to, a platform that values "Build in Public" stories. He sought the help of his friends, Renuka and Dharaneesh, to serve as his initial users face-to-face. Harun plans to turn this ban into a learning opportunity by creating engaging content and using his ban as a basis for a viral post.

He advises other founders to view setbacks as opportunities, turning rejections into valuable lessons and shared stories that resonate with their audience.

For those who face similar obstacles, Harun encourages them not to stop but instead transform the adversity into a compelling narrative. He demonstrates this by sharing a link to KODA, an AI coding mentor, which requires no login to test: https://koda-aicodementor.netlify.app/.